What is The Burnout?
Before we begin to explain how to avoid burnout as a content creator, it is essential to explain this phenomenon and how it manifests itself. Unfortunately, too often it is simply identified as simple fatigue and people often overlook it. Burnout is a serious condition that can harm us… Which is why I advise anyone against self-diagnosing this condition without first consulting a physician.
But, what then is burnout?
Burnout is a condition of excessive mental and physical stress that leads those who experience it to feel perpetually exhausted both physically and emotionally, completely unable to get on with one’s work or find the motivation needed to get it done, we usually feel impatient with our colleagues and we can no longer find a purpose regarding our work, in all this working becomes almost an insurmountable obstacle and
every action turns out to be incredibly tiring for our bodies.
As you understand, we are not talking about simple “fatigue”…
Who is most at risk?
Surely if you are reading you want to know if you are also at risk of being in this situation, and I want to tell you that anyone who does any kind of work can somehow incur this condition if they overdo it. Solely, however, studies show that people who work closely with their clients or in any kind of emergency services such as physicians have a greater chance of going into burnout.
But so are they as content creators at risk of burnout?
It depends, of course. But as a content creator myself, I can testify to the fact that very often we often focus solely on views or users’ comments and forget to think about our health and that, not always, low views or a few negative comments imply that we are not giving enough for our work or that we are not good enough. Especially these factors risk leading us, as Content Creators, constantly think about work without being able to disconnect for even a second.
What are the main causes?
Several more general causes can help you in whatever kind of work you do, in addition to those listed above we also find:
Excessive amount of work;
Low sense of belonging to the business of which we are a part;
Low recognition for our work;
Lack of control;
Excessive pressures during work;
Uncomfortable situations with colleagues.
Let’s say that in a general way, these are the most common reasons that risk triggering burnout, and as you can well see, some directly relate to the role of a content creator….
When should we start to worry?
As I explained earlier, in case you have any doubt that you are suffering from this disorder, definitely go for a visit with a doctor or those in expertise, you cannot rely on simple online explanations.
We can then identify some characteristic symptoms of burnout such as insecurity in ourselves and our work, total lack of motivation and purpose, becoming increasingly cynical about those around us, feeling perpetually irritated or under pressure, continual procrastination, dumping stress in food, alcohol or other substances, increased likelihood of absenting ourselves from work, and a general renunciation overall in taking responsibility for ourselves.
This is a large enough list to give you an idea of the typical feelings we experience during this condition.
What to do to prevent it?
I would like to point out again that this condition should not be underestimated at all, and precisely because of this, being able to prevent it by maintaining a healthy attitude towards our work is necessary. As Content Creators we often embark on a frightening amount of work without thinking about how stressful this work is, never forget to take time off for yourself, play sports, and see your friends and partners. Always try to have a healthy and pleasant relationship with any clients/colleagues and never think that creating an endless amount of content every day will make you better content creators, our is still a creative work and as such, it needs free time and moments to simply think.
Do not underestimate your mental health.